Kenshingumi Tales presentsThe Deep Sea Love
by Angle1
Summary: Or, The Little Mermaid. Kaoru is a young mermaid who falls in love with life beyond the sea. Yet will Love overcome the pain and suffering she endures for life on land? Will Kenshin discover who she really is?
1. Hurry up and Wait

Hi everyone! Here is another part of my Kenshin-gumi tales series. I hope everyone enjoys it! This and next chapter sets the story, lots of information but I hope it keeps your interest. I'm still working on my other stories. I hope to have a Update for my other Kenshin-gumi tales.

On to the story!

Disclaimer, I don't own Kenshin Or the Little Mermaid.

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><p>With a flick of her beautiful blue tail, Kaoru propelled herself through the massive coral garden outside the home in the middle of the kingdom under the sea. Nine year-old Kaoru rushed to meet her sisters who were already gathered around the thin, flowing fins of their grandmother. Their voices rising in song across the garden spoke of ocean storms. The haunting melody of mermaid voices was said to drive human sailors to their death. But the young mermaids knew little of this, singing only for the pleasure of their elder.<p>

And as always, Kaoru was late. All at once her sisters stopped singing and turned as Karou swam up to them. Her grandmother even turned her pearl colored eyes to her as Kaoru wedged herself between Misao and Tubame. The slightly older girls smiled at her while her much older sisters Megumi and Tae frowned at her tardiness while the middle child, Sayo looked indifferent at being interrupted; she was used to Kaoru's lateness.

"Kaoru...late again." Her grandmother said not unkindly as the old woman smiled, her hands clasped in her lap.

Kaoru ducked her head. "Sorry grandmother. I was daydreaming."

"Again." Said Megumi with a flick of her deep green-black seaweed colored hair. At almost fifteen, Megumi was the eldest sister. Her beautiful hair fanned out around her body like sea grass would, her tail and fins were a pale green that almost seemed to vanish against the color of the sea water. They were only given away by the glittering light reflecting off the millions of small scales that covered her. She was a beautiful creature and Kaoru envied and admired her much older sister despite her teenage attitude.

"Were you daydreaming about the surface again little Kaoru?" Tae asked. Tae was one year younger than Megumi. She had a much more angled face with her hair pulled back in two segments behind her head. Her grandmother said that Tae's hair was the color of dry earth; it was something Kaoru had much wanted to see.

Kaoru ducked her head and refused to answer. But it only confirmed Tae's question.

"That's all you ever do, daydream about the surface." Tae said with a smug smile.

"So?" Kaoru snapped. It was all there was to daydream about, for it was the only thing Kaoru had never seen before, life above the water. She had heard so many stories, seen the shadows far above her when the human vessels floated overhead. She wanted to swim up there and poke her head above the water to see what could possible cast such massive shadows, like a whale. But of course it was forbidden for a mermaid her age to swim up to the surface.

"You dream of the surface so much, child." her grandmother said. Six pairs of eyes swung to the elder and the old woman smiled. "All of you dream of the surface...don't you?"

"You bet!" Misao shouted.

"Even you, Megumi, my beautiful dear." Their grandmother turned her pearl eyes to her eldest grandchild. Megumi flushed slightly and crossed her arms with a huff but she couldn't deny that she too lost time wondering about humans and life above their kingdom. The old woman chuckled at the lack of response from the teen.

"Tell us about the surface Grandmother!" said Tubame. Her voice was soft like the whisper of waves rolling across the water. Her hair was dark like Megumi's but she kept her hair held back with a band across her head. Her eyes were dark like the deepest depths of the ocean and her tail was the color of glittering black sand. It was striking against the paleness of her flesh.

Everyone, even Megumi and Tae turned their eyes to their elder with eager looks on their faces. The old mermaid could not refuse such precious faces. Her moonlight white hair fanned out almost the length of her whole body, and it swayed slightly with the soft current that flowed through their kingdom. Her tail fins were large, combined they were much larger than her frail body and as thin as new sea kelp. They and the glittering scales were the color of sea foam. The young princesses pressed closer as the old creature spoke of dry land and life on the surface.

They were stories they had heard dozens of times before, but it always intrigued them. Kaoru's large eyes grew even wider as her grandmother told them about creatures that lived on land, not just humans, but other animals. Animals the humans kept as pets and some that humans would ride. And the concept of creatures that could fly in the air was so foreign to her that she could hardly wrap her mind around it.

"When you turn fifteen, my young princesses, you'll be allowed to go to the surface for the first time." Their grandmother said, and the princesses all smiled, especially Megumi, who had hardly half a year to go before her fifteenth birthday.

Kaoru's smile faded as she looked over at her eldest sister and then to all her other elder sisters in turn. "I have to wait forever." Kaoru complained.

"Don't whine." Tae said, brushing her fingers through the segments of her hair.

"I'm not whining, I'm just saying!" Kaoru snapped back only to be gently shushed with a wave of her grandmother's hand.

"It is hard when you have so many siblings in front of you Kaoru. You may feel you have to wait twice as long as any of them, but remember that each of your sisters before you had to wait fifteen years, and so will you. But they will have stories to fill your mind while you wait dear one."

Kaoru sighed but agreed with her wise grandmother. Misao turned to Kaoru and patted her shoulder. "It's alright Kaoru. Waiting is the hardest thing, but then when we're fifteen we can go to the surface all we want."

"And I'll tell you everything i see." Tubame said.

"Now, back to our singing, girls." The old mermaid clapped her hands and at once the girls sat up straight and in unison their voices rose to travel on the water current.

... . . ...

A little less than half a year had passed from that day but Kaoru could still remember the stories her grandmother told them and the vivid images they panted in her mind. In the middle of their coral garden, the six mermaid princesses were gathered together. All of them surrounded Megumi and they covered her with gifts. At fifteen Megumi had reached adulthood and she would be allowed to go up to the surface for the first time. Her sisters covered her with homemade jewelry Weaved seaweed was wrapped around her wrists and her belly. Shell decorations were placed in her hair. Kaoru had searched far for the most beautiful sea flowers she could find and used seaweed to weave and tie them together to make a small crown to place upon her head. Megumi loved every handmade gift.

Other mermaids gathered in the garden at the center of their kingdom. Their grandmother came and in one hand she carried a bag. The girls parted from their fussing with Megumi to allow the matriarch through. The old mermaid pulled four clams from the kelp bag and made them clamp on Megumi's tail fins. Two on each fin. Megumi yelped when the first clam clamped down but held her tongue afterwards. The clams were a status symbol. They were royalty and as such must endure the pain. Only females wore the clams and they added more as the mermaid aged. Their grandmother's tail fin was lined with twenty clams, ten on each transparent fin.

Then their father, the King of merfolk appeared. His hair was the color of ink but his tail was the color of the brightest red-orange tropical fish. Kaoru watched half with fascination, half in envy as her father tied a necklace around Megumi's neck. It was made with sea gems in all colors of greens. Her father then declared that Megumi was an adult. Kaoru glance around at the crowd and noticed more than one interested face in the sea of merfolk. Suddenly Kaoru realized from here on out the kingdom was going to be swarmed with courting males as each of the princesses became of age.

Kaoru pulled out of her thoughts as the crowd swam away leaving Megumi to pick where she would surface. Kaoru wanted to stay and ask her sister where she was planning to go but the little mermaid was forced to swim away with the rest of her family. They called their good wishes to her as they left Megumi alone and in silence.

... . . ...

"Kaoru can't you sit still?" Misao clicked her tongue as she tried to weave Kaoru's hair into braids. It was coming out uneven because the youngest mermaid could not stop wiggling. The princesses were all gathered together in a rock and coral cave that sat protectively in the center of the residential neighborhood. Their royal father and grandmother lived in a coral tower next to them. Megumi had been gone a whole day. It had been impossible for Kaoru to sleep that night wondering what things Megumi was doing...what she was seeing. And when Kaoru woke that morning and found that Megumi was still not back...it killed Kaoru.

"Sorry." Kaoru muttered as she rested her hands against scales of her tail to keep from twisting her fingers together.

"There." Misao backed up with a flick of her tail "All finished."

Kaoru reached back and felt the rope of braids wrapped around her head. "Thanks Misao I bet it looks great." But before her older sister could reply Sayo gave a gasp as Megumi swam in through the wide window.

"Megumi!" They all said in unison as they rushed to surround her.

"What was it like?"

"What took you so long?

"What did you see?"

"Alright! alright." Megumi said "Give me a moment." The eldest sister pushed past her siblings and rested on a cushion of sea moss that served as her bed. Kaoru was by her side instantly.

"Please Megumi-chan...Tell us what you saw."

Megumi looked down at Kaoru, the youngest of them all and saw the pleading in her large eyes. "I went to the surface." Megumi began and her sister pressed closer. "I swam until I could just see the edge of where the giant land mountains lived. I didn't dare go to where I could see land and I went to the surface and took my first breath of air."

"What was it like?" Tubame pressed her hands together under her chin.

A dark look fluttered past Megumi's eyes; impossibly fast for any of her sisters to catch. "Hard." Was all she said. "Breathing air is hard."

"Well what did you see!" Misao shouted, unable to wait anymore.

"When I got to the surface the sun was just about to peek over the edge of the sea. The sky above was bathed in such warm colors...I can't even describe to you the shades of red and orange...and the creatures in the air." Megumi trailed off as she remembered.

Kaoru tugged at Megumi's fin. "You saw the creatures that fly in the air?"

"Yes...they moved as if swimming in the sea, like a ray… only it was in the air above the sea." Megumi confirmed.

"What was the sun like?" Sayo asked as she settled by Megumi's side.

"Bright...many times brighter than you think it is here under the sea. I stayed above water until the sun climbed so high and it became very warm, then I went back under the water and watched the flying creatures and they fell from the sky to dive in the water...after fish."

"Wow." Tubame breathed.

"I can't imagine that." Tae agreed. "Did you see any humans?"

Megumi shook her head. "No, but I can go to the surface any time I wish now…I'll have a chance to see them soon."

"When you do you must tell us about it!" Kaoru said.

"Yes, yes. I will." Megumi shooed her sisters away from her. "I've been swimming this whole time... I would like to sleep now."

The girls slowly pulled away from Megumi as she settled down. She was asleep the moment her head rested on her arm. Kaoru could only imagine what she was dreaming about now that she had seen the surface. The idea made the wait until she was of age all the more unbearable.

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><p>An How was the first chapter? A Little strange I think. I couldn't think of a way to start the story other than a throwback to the original Little Mermaid story. I'm excited for when out littlest mermaid meets her Prince! Please review, I know there isn't much in this chapter, but I would like to know if I should keep going with it. Thanks for reading!


	2. Patience is a Virtue

A/n I was asked if this was going to follow the original story. I'm not sure yet. I do know that I'm going to make this story my own. I just don't know how much I'm going to pull from the various versions. I am glad to see interested readers. I hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long. On to the story!

Disclaimer. I don't own Kenshin

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><p>A little less than a year later Tae was having her ceremony. Again her sisters gathered around to decorate her with jewelry. Though Megumi had been to the surface many times that year, she was still just as excited as her younger sisters to send Tae away. Their father came along with many other merfolk and gave Tae her pendent of polished coral and declared her of age. And again the sisters turned and swam away to give Tae the freedom to surface when and wherever she wanted.<p>

... . . ...

Kaoru was the first to see Tae return. It was the next day and Tae looked exhausted as she swam to her father's court to report her return. Kaoru gave a hard flick of her tail and settled close to the opening in the rock and coral that held her father's court of merpeople just as Tae excused herself. She moved with slow, lethargic movements and she yawned as Kaoru wrapped her arm around her.

"You were gone even longer than Megumi, Tae. How was it?"

Tae waved one hand at her while she clutched at Kaoru's shoulder with the other and let her pull her along. "No, you have to wait until I can tell everyone." She scolded, smothering another yawn.

Kaoru set her mouth in a line and tugged harder. "Well come on then, everyone's in the gardens.

"I'm coming. Gezz Kaoru it's not like I'm going to forget everything." Tae smiled and with renewed energy, she and Kaoru swam to the coral and sea plant gardens. Kaoru gave a shout and instantly the heads of her sisters popped up and they were rushed as the girls swam over to then firing off excited questions.

Tae settled on a rock and again the younger sisters gathered around her. Megumi floated a ways away, not as eager to hear stories of the surface, only wanting to know how her sister fared.

"So tell us, what did you see?" Misao urged as she settled beside Kaoru.

"Yes, please." Megumi said with a hidden smile as she gave a flick of her hair. 'I'm tired of them always following me around like guppies begging for stories." But hardly anyone heard her as they were too focused on Tae as she smoothed back her wild brown hair.

"I couldn't think of when or where to go to the surface." Tae began. "Megumi always went in the day so I thought I would try seeing the surface in the night." All her sisters, even Megumi pressed closer, eyes wide. Kaoru was nearly yanking the stone beads from her braid with all the eager twisting her fingers were doing.

"So, I swam west." Tae continued.

The girls took a collective breath. West was to land, where humans were. "How far west?" Sayo breathed, hands fluttering at her heart.

"When I broke through the water, I could see land." Tae said and instantly the girls broke into excited clamored. Not even Megumi had seen land

"You must of swam all day." Megumi remarked.

"I did. It was growing dark by the time I reached the surface. The sun was like a large, fat yellow puffer fish in the sky. So warm and bright. It was so low in the sky that it was touching the water and i swam after it for a while."

Kaoru blinked and her sisters shot each other curious glances. "The sun went into the water?" Misao asked.

"Yes! The sky wasn't blue like Megumi says. It was bright pink and gold. The sun fell into the water and I couldn't see it anymore so I gave up and turned to swim closer to land."

"What was the sky like without the sun?" Tusbame said in a whisper.

"A strange color." Tae said softly in thought. "But it drained away quickly as the sun dipped further into the ocean. And the sky was black...deep dark black like the deep chasms here under the water. But there was glittering creatures high in the sky."

"Like the flying creatures?" Kaoru asked.

Tae shook her head." I don't know. It was too dark to see them. They were tiny and they flickered up in the blackness. They were beautiful whatever it was.

"Did you see humans?" Sayo asked.

"I didn't." Tae shook her head and the other sisters gave a sigh. "It was too dark to see them." Tae added, but I could see lights glittering on land like those in the night sky, only larger, and closer."

… . . …

Tae went back to the surface many times that year and saw humans from afar, but didn't have the courage to swim any closer to get a proper look at them. Kaoru figured she would have to wait until she herself was of age before she could get a description of the two-legged land people. Until then, she thrived off the tales that her two eldest sisters spun.

… . . …

Sayo was beautiful on her fifteenth birthday. Her sisters showered her with homemade gifts. Kaoru gathered many tiny seashells and strung them together to make a delicate bracelet. Her gift from her royal father was a pendent made of various milky pearls. The quiet, pure middle child was left to her own devices and was not seen again until late that night.

The mermaid princesses rested in their room, but instead of sleeping they were gossiping. Mostly they teased Megumi about her strange suitors, and decided that Tae should pay more attention to the nice-looking young merman who were too polite and shy to compete for her attentions. They didn't expect Sayo to return until the next day, so it was a surprise when the princess swam into the room through the wide window.

"Sayo!" They all said in surprise. The mermaid looked tired, worn, but there was a soft smile on her face and she quickly went to brush the tangles from her hair.

"I saw incredible things." She said quickly before her sisters could fire questions at her. Her soft voice rang like a new silver bell in her excitement, even being exhausted couldn't smash her thrill.

"Oh, do tell us!" They countered.

"Yes. Did you see humans?" Misao shoved her way into the circle her sisters had created to surround Sayo on her bed.

"I did!" She smiled and laughed in glee at the shocked and amazed faces of her sisters.

"Well don't just sit there, tell us!" Misao demanded.

"Please Sayo, tell us what it was like." Kaoru pleaded.

"Well, I swam west like Tae did. To land. I'm a much faster and better swimmer so I made it there before the sun fell into the water. Sorry Tae." Sayo said softly to her sister. Tae shrugged it away; it was common knowledge that Tae had yet to learn the finesse of swimming at great speed so she was not at all offended by her sister.

"And?" Misao urged, nearly spinning in circles if the wedge of her sisters were not holding her still.

"The sun was high in the sky and very warm. I swam very close to land. I could see the edge where the water lapped up on the dry sand. It was very shallow where I stopped. I could lay in the water and still have my body out of the water."

The girls all babbled at once. "Oh what it must be to see the dry sand." "How dangerous, you could have been stranded at tide." And all manner of separate thoughts went back and forth between the sisters while Sayo took the moment to look at the clams newly clamped to her tail.

"Please go on." Tubame said softly.

"Yes tell us about the humans!" Kaoru couldn't hardly stand it.

"Well they are very loud and noisy and hairy."

"Hairy?" They all questioned in unison.

"Yes that's what I thought at first. A big hairy thing on four legs."

"Sayo…humans have two legs, everyone knows that." Tae said, even though she had only seen them from very far away.

"Yes let me finish!" Sayo laughed. "It was frightening at first. This large thing was making a lot of noise at me while I was sunning myself on a rock that jutted up from the surf. Where I was the water was calm and the tide was low so there was sand everywhere and the creature just walked up upon me. Following the hairy thing were three humans."

The girls squealed, even Kaoru, who was also trying to shush everyone.

"They were small, but very fast for having two legs. They had strange hands on the bottom of their legs with stubby fingers. Useless I think, they were so small. They chased each other and played, not knowing I was watching until one with short golden hair spotted me."

A collective gasp from her sisters and Sayo paused to hold them in their state of terrible suspense.

"I decided to take it home…as a pet." Sayo declared. "I held my hand out and the human just stared at me as it slowly walked into the shallow water." All the girls had their jaws slack. No one could believe that gentle Sayo would drag a human down to the depths to be a pet. Such courage. "But just as it raised its hand to touch mine, the big hairy creature made such a racket and lunged at me that it was afraid it would attack, so I turned and slipped back into the water and into the deeper pools where I watched the humans play for a moment more before turning back."

… . . …

Glassy purple black stones went into the pendant Misao was given on her fifteenth birthday. Kaoru, more skilled now that she was older, created a belt of scalloped shells and draped it on her sister's hips. She hugged Misao and wished her well before the Royal family and court swam away to leave her.

Kaoru wouldn't see her again for days.

The whole kingdom was in a controlled state of worry. Of age merfolk were known to take their time, sometimes swimming to all the various seas, but the royals usually stuck to their own territory, so it was unnerving to have Misao gone so long. Was she in trouble, did she get caught up in the human fishing nets? Did merfolk from other kingdoms have her? Was she lost? Stranded on dry land? But all their worry was for naught, because on the morning of the fifth day, Misao returned.

She was so worn out; Misao couldn't say more than a few words to her father as he carried her to the princess's room and demanded that all the girls go out to the garden to give Misao some peace to sleep a while. Though they were all dying to know what took Misao so long, they obeyed.

Kaoru kept to her grandmother most of the time now. Megumi and Tae were so used to the surface now that they hardly even went up to visit, and they had no more stories to tell. Now that they were allowed to go to the surface, it held little appeal to them. Sayo had only gone up three other times, but not near land nor humans, and all three were now more preoccupied with their suitors. Especially Megumi, who looked as if she had finally started to favor one or two of them.

The sun fell into the sea and the girls silently glided back into their room to get ready for sleep whey they found Misao awake but sleepy eyed in her bed. Kaoru nearly flung herself at her sister and wrapped her arms around her.

"We thought you were lost." Kaoru said, pulling away as the other princesses gathered around. "Where have you been? What happened?"

Misao smiled softly as she lay back against the soft moss of her bed. "I went to a place of magic." The girls all pressed closer, Kaoru and Tubame reclined on Misao's bed with her. "I swam far, the waters were cold."

"Well it is winter." Megumi pointed out unnecessarily.

"No, colder than winter waters. Much colder." Her voice was soft and they all pressed closer. "When I went to the surface, the sun had already fallen into the sea. The sky was a strange color and there was land everywhere, floating bits of white land. They glittered and sparkled like scales on the prettiest mermaid." Misao's eyes were wide as if she was seeing it all over again as she gazed up at the ceiling.

"Ice." Tae said. "Remember Grandmother told us that great chunks of frozen sea water would float down from the Northern Kingdom during the winter."

Misao nodded. "Yes it was ice; I swan over to one of the largest ones, big enough for all of us to stretch out on. And I climbed up on it." The girls murmured their admirations. It's not easy for a mermaid to haul their body and tail out of the water with only their arms. "The sky was the deepest black; the glittering creatures were up there too. And the moon was large and it washed over everything with the softest light I had ever seen. There was a ship."

All the girls lifted their heads. "A human sea vessel? What was it like?" Kaoru urged.

"Big, large enough for so many humans. I could see them with their lights milling about on the vessel." Misao went on to describe the great, giant white sails and how the humans made such strange music and how the chill of the ice under her kept Misao awake most of the night as she watched the ship drift past. She described the creaking of the ship and how it bumped into many of the small floating white ice as if it were never there, but never once coming close to her large bit of ice. So Misao watched from afar, the humans as they danced and sang.

Misao went back under the water to sleep and she swam for many more days in the new sea. But she never once crossed over into the Northern Kingdom for fear of strange merfolk. Kaoru just sat and tried with all her might to picture the glittering ice and its coldness and the sound of human music.

… . . …

Tubame hugged her father after he set a pendant made of quartz swirled with amethyst and white. The poor girl was nervous and clung to Kaoru. "I-I don't know if I can go up there." She confided softly, her eyes still wide from the pain of having the clams on her tail fins.

"Hush." Kaoru said. "You don't have to go up if you don't want to. You can just swim straight up from this spot and poke your head out of the water for an instant." Kaoru pointed up and Tubame followed her gaze up above their heads. "It's your day and you can do whatever you want." Kaoru added before she was pulled away by Misao. They were leaving her now and even though Kaoru wanted her shy elder sister to be comfortable and feel safe, she hoped she would go to the surface, for even just a peek and describe it all to her when she returned.

Tubame was gone all day…and all night…and all morning. Kaoru fretted so did Misao, but the three eldest weren't worried at all. Megumi was finally getting married, she had blossomed into a beautiful female, her tail fins grew and she would receive two more clams to add to her tail on her wedding day. She would get two more after the birth of her first child, more when she became Queen, and more with her first grandchild and more with each major milestone.

Finally late in the morning, Tubame returned. She came to them as they were working in their gardens. Kaoru tended to her sea flowers and coral to rid her mind of worried thoughts and nearly snapped a branch off her coral when she saw her wary sister swim over to them from the main court.

"Tubame." They all greeted softly so as to not frightened their gentle sister and overwhelm her. Tubame swam to her section of garden and slowly tended to it as the other sisters swam over.

"How was it?" Kaoru pressed gently as she handed Tubame a sharp edge of sea shell to trim the tendrils of kelp.

"Beautiful." Tubame said in hushed tones. "I was afraid, and swam away and hid so you would think I went to the surface. I wasn't sure yet if I wanted to go."

All the sister nodded in understanding.

"Night came but I still wasn't sure. But then I decided I would do as Kaoru said and just swim up and take a fast peek. So I swam and swam straight up until I could see the surface. The sun was just about to come out of the ocean when it poked the top of my head out so my eyes were above the water.

"So you didn't even breathe air." Tae clicked her tongue but Misao gave her a shove and hushed her.

"Go on." Kaoru smiled.

"The sun came up from the water and the sky was brilliant…pinks and gold. The white puffy things floating in the sky where alight the likes I have never seen. And the higher the sun went the brighter the golden rays were until it reached above everything and the sky was as blue as the ocean's bluest water." She turned to Kaoru. "Oh it was so beautiful, I can't wait until you get to see it Kaoru."

They talked a bit more before drifting back to their gardens, but Kaoru could hardly keep her mind on her tending. In ten months it would finally be her turn to swim to the surface. Her sisters had seen some pretty amazing things and Kaoru would go to the surface until she had seen them all as well…and then some.

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><p>An well it looks like I'm going to leave everyone hanging for one more chapter. So sorry, don't kill me. Next chapter: Kaoru finally gets her day and we get to see who she meets, though we all know who it is hehe. Thanks for reading! Reviews and ideas are loved!


	3. A Birthday to Remember

A/n Oh! I'm such a horrible fanfic writer…I swear. I can't believe I've waited so long to update this story. I deserve the whipping I'm sure you're about to give me. The horrible thing is that I had this chapter typed up weeks ago. I just forgot that I did indeed finish it. I know… I suck. Well, I'm off, enjoy!

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><p>Time past agonizingly slow for the littlest mermaid. But finally it was here, on the eve of her fifteenth birthday, Kaoru could hardly sleep. She lay there, listening to the soft sounds of her sisters sleeping. Megumi's wedding would take place in a month, Tae was engaged and Sayo was starting to favor one of the mermen. Misao turned all suitors away, proclaiming that she didn't want to deal with them just yet. And instead of doing princess-like things, Misao went with the guards to go shark hunting, and she was becoming very good at it. Tubame was still so shy that she could hardly utter a word when a male came up to her; she hadn't even gone back to the surface after her first glance.<p>

Kaoru tossed and turned but sleep finally came and she dreamed of swimming to the surface but never being able to reach it.

… . . …

Gifted with handmade belts, jewelry and with beautiful flowers woven in her hair, Kaoru thanked each of her sisters. Then her grandmother came with the small bag of clams and smiled gently at Kaoru. "I see my youngest princess is finally ready to see all that she wanted to see. The wait wasn't as bad as you thought."

No, it was worse. Kaoru thought to herself as she watched her grandmother place the first clam on her tail. Like all her sisters before her Kaoru gave a yelp of surprise as the thing clamped painfully on the thin membrane that was her tail fin. She held her tongue as three more were placed on her tail. She gave a few experimental flicks of her tail and found that the clams hardly weighed her tail down, in fact, once the pain ebbed away, she would forget they were there entirely. A sparkling blue sapphire set in silver was her pendant. The deep dark blue of the stone matched her eyes and she thanked her father with an excited embrace. Soon the well wishes were over and Kaoru watched as her family and the rest of the royal court turned to swim away.

It was then that fear shot from the tip of her tail to the top of her head and down each arm. She was really doing it. She was really going to the surface. And she was doing it all alone. Realization was like swimming in a cloud of freezing water. She was excited, yet afraid. She glanced around as her kin vanished into the coral kingdom. No one was around and it was quiet, save for the hammering of her heart in her ears. Kaoru took and deep breathe and flicked her tail. She swam, not to any place particular, she was just going to swim until her courage returned. Slowly she left the depth of her ocean kingdom and came upon slightly more shallow waters. Here the light was brighter, the fish-life more plentiful. She had only come here during family outings. She remembered playing with her sister in the thick kelp beds that grew there.

The day wore on and the water was shallower still. She was getting close to land; she could feel it pulling at her like a strong current, like a magnet. But the light was ebbing away and Kaoru suddenly wanted to witness the sun falling into the ocean. So she stopped and glanced upward. There, right above her head, was a large dark mass on the surface of the water. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't see it as it was starting to pass over, or noticed the creaking or groaning that usually came when human water-ships passed by.

Suddenly Kaoru knew what she wanted. It was as if her fear melted away and her old self returned. She wanted to see the ship, she wanted to see humans. She wanted it more than anything at that moment. So without pause, Kaoru kicked her tail and she shot upward. Overhead the vessel slowly loomed away, but it was slow and Kaoru would catch up. She would break the surface first, and then investigate once she knew it was safe.

It was almost like her dream, closer and closer the surface came and it seemed that Kaoru would never get there. But suddenly without warning the surface loomed an arm's length away and her courage drained again. But she refused to back down now. Her tail gave one last hard kick that propelled the littlest mermaid through the surface.

Oh, it was beautiful. The sky was blue, the sunlight warm. It made the drops of water she had kicked up from her breaking the water sparkle like jewels. She had never seen anything so wonderful. Then, just as she settled, the splash returning to the ocean, she turned to the ship and took her first breath of air.

Instantly Kaoru thought her lungs must have shriveled up, scalded by the warm, dry air. Pain shot from her chest to every inch of her body. Water gurgled up from her throat as her lunges expelled it. It was like inhaling sand, hot sand that clogged up every nook and cranny of her lungs. The small mermaid thrashed, but refused to dip back under the water. The air left her lungs as a painful cry that sounded strange to her ears. It took every ounce of will she had to take a second breath. She did and the pain returned, though it was not as bad as the first breath. She bobbed in the wake of the ship and it continued to lumber onward. She realized her hands where clawing at her throat and chest and she forced herself to stop.

The third breath came, then the fourth and the fifth. With each one the pain eased and the breath came without thought. Her heart was pounding heard in her chest, adrenaline raced in her system. She had never felt anything like that before. Was it what all her sisters felt when they took their first breath of air? No wonder no one ever talked about that first moment. It would frighten mermaids into never going to the surface. But instantly Kaoru knew that the pain was a small price to pay to see life above the water.

The sun was a golden orb in the sky and even though it was already starting to fall into the sea, Kaoru could feel the warmth of its rays. She wanted to feel those warm rays when the sun was its strongest. The ship was yards away now, but Kaoru caught up to it with ease with a few twitches of her tail. It was moving at a lazy pace and it was easy for the mermaid to keep up, even with large waves rocking the vessel back and forth. She reached out her hand as she grew close and touched her first human thing. The waterlogged wood was covered in barnacles, white and grey coruscations that grew like a callouses on the bottom of the ship. The wood moaned and groaned, thought it was not as eerie or as loud as it had been when she was under the water. The sails of the ship where bright, despite the fading light and they snapped in the brisk gusts of wind. Though Kaoru didn't know the names or purpose for any of this, she was fascinated still. Her gaze never left the ship and she followed with it. She could hear voices over the sound of the water. Human voices! Kaoru could hardly hold in her excitement. Though she had no clue as to what they were saying, it was a joy just to listen to them. She thought she would shout with amazement when she spotted a few sailors working on the edge. She swam back a bit to keep from being spotted and to catch sight of their legs. Truly it was as her sisters had described. They looked almost like they did, except they had no tail, but two thick, column-like appendages on which they balanced.

They moved effortlessly on those legs, even with the motion of the ship. Kaoru found it impossible to imagine trying to keep from flopping over. Soon the sun vanished into the water and Kaoru watched in awe as the darkness rose up from the opposite horizon to cover the sky overhead. Soon the glittering gems her grandmother and sisters talked about blinked to life in the inky blackness.

Warm light shone from small windows in the ship and lanterns hung from ropes on the deck. Kaoru was amazed at this. What created the light? Was it what her grandmother called fire? A concept that was difficult for the merfolk to grasp. Music started up and the voiced got louder. Kaoru couldn't help but clap her hands in joy at the sound of it. Human music! Though not a nice as the music of her own kind; Kaoru found the lively human music enjoyable. The swells grew, lifting and rocking the ship more and more, but the music never stopped, the agreeable voices didn't slow.

Kaoru felt her eyes turning to deeper waters. A darkness more black than the night sky seemed to loom out there. A strange feeling of needing to dive into deeper waters seem to take Kaoru but she ignored it. She wasn't going to miss her first night on the surface.

A rope dangled from the side of the deck and it dipped in and out of the water as the boat rode the waves. An idea came to her then, one so crazy, she knew her sisters would never of been so daring, even Misao. Her fear was gone now, replaced by curiosity and an intense need to learn. Before she could stop and think, Kaoru reached up as the rope dipped into the water and took hold of it. The rising waved helped but Kaoru found it a struggle to haul her body out of the water. Her tail was twice as long as her upper body and her arms were not use to such heavy lifting. But with hardly a grunt, the littlest mermaid pulled her glittering blue body up the side of the ship.

Her arms burned and shook with effort, but she was able to drape her scaled body on the frame of one window and she peeked over the edge and onto the deck. She smoothed a gasp and the urge to dive back into the water. Humans milled about on the ship, some looked like they were working, and others were playing the music and some were dancing. They were just a few feet from her spying eyes. Their booted feet were walking just past her. Her smile could only grow and grow as she tried to take in every detail and understand all the activity going on.

They seemed nice humans, for the most part. And from the general shape of their upper bodies, Kaoru concluded that they were all males. A large group directly in front of her parted and a brilliant flash of red brought the young mermaid's attention to a delicately shaped face. Kaoru was captivated right away. Less harsh looking than the rest of the sailors, this man had hair the color of the reddest coral. His eyes were large and amethyst. He was smaller than most of them, but his dress hinted at importance. Kaoru held tight to the wood and gazed upon this man with rapport.

"Happy birthday, Your Highness." Said one frilly dressed man beside him.

"Thank you." He said in return. And though Kaoru couldn't understand them, she couldn't help the little smile that his soft voice brought to her.

… . . …

"Yeah Happy Birthday Kenshin!" Sanosuke said, walking up and slapping the prince on his shoulder.

Laughing, he thanked his best friend and took the cup of sake he offered him. "I love the sea." He said, turning to gaze at the black waters.

"I know, you come out here for these all night voyages every year on your birthday." Sano said, downing his sake in one toss of his head. "Parent's been nagging you to get married yet?" It was only because Sanosuke was such a close friend that he would dare refer to the King and Queen in such a way.

"Excessively, that they are." Kenshin said, sipping his sake and savoring the flavor.

"Well, you are twenty-five."

"I know." The prince turned his purple eyes up to his friend. "I want to get married, don't get me wrong…I just want it to be to the right person."

Sanosuke glanced up and the paper lanterns as the bobbed in the wind. "We'll you could always sail this ship with its red and gold paint and wood carved into a hundred dragons and woe the heart of any princess who might see it. You're not too bad looking either, that's a plus."

Kenshin laughed, passing off his empty cup. "It's not that easy Sanosuke. What about you? Are you ever going to get married?"

"Arg, bite that tongue of yours Kenshin." The taller man said and they both shared a laugh.

… . . …

They had stepped closer. Kaoru was ducking down as far as she could without blocking her view of the red-haired human. His taller friend seemed nice as well and they talked quietly of matters Kaoru couldn't understand. But just as she started to relax, content to just gaze up at him. She noticed that both of them were watching the dark horizon intently; as well as a few other humans on the ship.

Kaoru's eyes pulled away from the handsome human and gazed off in the direction that had been tugging on her attention all night. The patch of darkness further out to sea. Flashes of light illuminated the churning clouds. Kaoru knew instantly what it was and fear suddenly washed over her like the waves that were washing higher and higher up the ship. The human music stopped and their voices turned from jovial to urgent. Watching to make sure she wasn't seen, Kaoru backed away and dove for the safety of the churning water. Her instincts told her to dive for deeper water and wait out the storm, but she didn't want to leave the human ship just yet. Wind blew harder, the waves grew and the light that bobbed on thin rope suddenly flared and fire ate the colorful material that held the flame in its delicate grasp. The men scrambled to put the flames out. And as much as the sight of fire captivated the mermaid, thunder was rumbling even louder. Wind filled the sails until the ropes snapped tight and the ship picked up speed.

Kaoru couldn't hold back the cry of dismay as the ship was hit broad side by a large wave.

… . . …

"Hear that." Sansuke said and he and Kenshin urgently helped the sailors clear the deck.

Kenshin had heard something ebb out from the darkness, he nodded slightly.

"Cry of the mermaid… there's a bad storm coming." Sano informed.

"I could have told you that without the mermaid cry." Kenshin said dryly jabbing his finger at the approaching storm. "Let's hope this wind will push us back to port." This was a ship built for celebrating; it was not like other ships. It wouldn't be able to weather the storm as well. But just as this thought raced through his mind, a flash of lightning snaked over their heads, and that same cry rose out from the black before the thunder deafened the crew.

"There it is again, dire warning." Sano shouted and he helped tighten ropes even as the rain started to pelt. "This is going to get bad. Kenshin, perhaps you should go below for safety. I'm not jumping in after your royal ass if you go overboard!"

"Thanks, but I'd rather help!" Kenshin shouted before vanishing into the crowd of scrambling sailors to find something to help with. Though he was a prince, Kenshin knew hard work. He loved being on ships at sea, and he was an active warrior. A little storm and a rocking boat wasn't going to frighten this prince.

… . . …

Kaoru watched the storm as she bobbed in the choppy waters. The storm was growing and moving towards them and an unnaturally fast pace. Was it her fault? Had she somehow cursed the human vessel when she touched it? While she knew that mermaids had wonderful powers, she also knew that they had terrible powers as well. They could bring joy or a watery death to humans, but she was too young to learn of such things and so she didn't know if she was the cause of this disaster.

Rain beat down, water from the sky, it would have been amazing if Kaoru wasn't so terrified. Waves grew till they rose up larger than the ship itself. Like a wall bearing down on the ship. Luckily, the vessel was pointed at the waves, so the ship simply rose and fell with the wave. Kaoru had to dive deep into the water to keep from being sucked up into the wave. Down below, where the water was dark and calm, it was hard to imagine the spectacle taking place on the surface. How many times had a human vessel fall victim to a raging storm while they lay ignorant in the deep, far away from noise and churning water. Lungs rejected the water when she rose up into the air, but her lungs didn't ache, now use to the air. Still, the act of coughing up the water from her lungs was distracting and she was swept away from the ship, caught in a powerful current.

Ropes snapped, Kaoru could hear them like the strings of a musical instrument. White sails were yanked, their ropes frayed ends of twine. Without the sails, the ship was slave to the currents and wickedly they pushed the ship against the waves, so that they no longer pointed at them, but the broad side of the ship now faced the onslaught. Kaoru swam with all her might but she couldn't make up the space that was growing. Wave after wave beat the side of the boat but it always seemed to make it through. Then, the sea pulled and Kaoru turned to watch the wall of ocean lift into the sky. It curved in a graceful arch, the lighting making the water shimmer in all its power. Then, the wall fell, landing against the ship and flipping it completely on its side. A second wave hit it moments later and the small celebratory vessel groaned in protest, wood screamed and splintered. The sails dipped into the water and flapped no more humans cried, shouted. Kaoru couldn't look away from the devastation as a third wave beat the wounded boat into its death throes.

Kaoru dove to get away from the current before it to sweep her any further away. She swam deep and fast back to the ship and watched from below as the vessel broke into a hundred bits. Wiggling bodies of the humans struggled in the water before another large wave hit them and spread them far and wide from the ship's remains.

Kaoru sobbed, mourned for the humans who, with their music and laughter, seemed so joyous just moments ago. "No!, oh no, no." She wept.

Then she saw a flash of red as lightning illuminated the waters for just a moment. Yet it was enough for Kaoru to see the pretty red-haired human sinking in the water. If she had in fact cursed the vessel, she wasn't going to let the human die. With powerful kicks of her tail she swam up to the human and grabbed him. He was heavy and she didn't have the strength to haul him to air. Struggling, Kaoru fumbled with the long, billowing clothes that he wore, the brightly colored top was yanked free and it was all Kaoru needed. She grabbed him under the arms, wrapping her arms around his chest and with powerful undulations of her tail exploded into the chaos of the surface.

Once again her lungs gave back the water she had breathed and she could hear the human doing the same, though he did not wake or move. Kaoru couldn't hold back the sobs as she dragged the human away from the dangers of the sinking ship and the waves shooting debris. She could hear the cries of the other humans but she couldn't see them and she didn't dare let go of her prize.

Land, he needed to be on land, there he would be safe and other humans could help him. Instinctively she knew where to swim. Her head turned to the direction of the waves and she powered her tail and dragged the human, floating him on his back to make it easier. Kaoru kept her eyes open for other humans but she saw none. Soon the cries died away and she feared that they sank, unable to live long in the sea. The storm blew over them and soon the waters grew calm. Crashing waves turned into gentle swells once again. The human didn't move, but he was breathing. Kaoru stopped often to make sure he still lived and she kissed his face when he would draw breath and prove he was still alive.

Tired. Her arms ached and her it took all her strength to keep her tail moving. Yet she refused to give up. Her sides heaved and she gulped air to fuel her struggling body. They were close, she could feel the water growing more and more shallow and she could hear the waves washing onto the land and she could even see the large mass of it looming out in front of her. Again she stopped to catch her breath and she quickly held her ear to the human's chest and heard his heart beating and air rushing into his lungs, he was alive still. And again in joy, the littlest mermaid kissed the human on the face, glad that he lived yet.

The hardest part was nearing, the sun started to crawl out of the water and the sky started to go blue again. The water was very shallow now and Kaoru had to wait until waves could push them further up the beach. Soon Kaoru had to drag the human on the sand. Her tail was near useless but she could dig it into the soft sand and pull her human prize as a wave washed up to help them. Soon she had him safely away from the water and she allowed herself to let him go.

He rested on the sand, breathing deeply. Kaoru tipped her head up as she pulled herself up on her hands. The sun was rising and already the air was growing warm. It was pleasant and she was sure the heat of it would revive the human, who was as cold from the water. Its temperature didn't bother the mermaid but her grandmother had told her of humans dying in the water simply because it was too cold for them.

In the sunlight, his red hair was like fire and his skin was the color of the sand they were on. He was even more beautiful than before. His bare chest was muscled just like the mermen back home, and with his wet bottom clothing covering the legs, it was easy to envision him being of the merfolk. Her voice rose and she sang softly to him. Mermaid lullabies that her grandmother would sing to her and her sisters. She petted his beautiful red hair and gazed at the soft features of his face.

As she had thought, as the sun raised higher the man began to come to life. He shifted, mumbled and the color was returning to his skin.

Overjoyed that he was well, Kaoru clapped her hands and bent over his body to place a single kiss on his lips. Her bare chest pressed against his and she was surprised to feel how warm the human was. She sang a few more notes before turning and dragging herself back to the water. He moved, hands going to his face and her heart filled with gladness that she had been able to save the handsome human. With tired arms and her tail, she pushed and pulled herself back into the water and once she was safely in the shallows, she turned and froze. The human male sat up, and was watching her. The last few notes of the lullaby escaped her lips before she turned and slipped back under the surface.

… . . …

Sanosuke rushed up the steps when he ran into the doctor on his way back down.

"So the Prince lives?" the man would hardly allow himself to believe his friend had survived the wreck.

The doctor glanced at the white bandages wrapped around his head and on his arms and hands. "Yes, His Highness is alive and well. Well enough with what has happened. He was found washed ashore ten miles down the beach. Other than a few superficial bumps, scrapes and bruises, he's doing well. Up here though." The doctor tapped his temple "I'm not so sure."

Sanosuke balked, to question the sanity of a member of the royal family was serious. No wonder the doctor was whispering. "What do you mean by that?" he asked carefully.

The doctor shrugged. "Says he was bore to land by a singing woman. One that sang in a different tongue"

Superstitious Sanosuke was and his eyes grew wide. "Mermaids."

The doctor nodded. "A kind one if that be the case. If it wasn't the water dwellers that caused the catastrophe in the first place."

"Shh-shhh." Sano scolded. "Don't speak ill of them. Next time they'll just let Kenshin sink. Has he been gazing out the window at the ocean?"

The doctor nodded.

"Must have been some sort of watery spirit that brought him home safe. Mermaid or otherwise. He'll want to return to the sea often until the effects wears off. I'm going to go see him" the Tall man declared, dismissing the royal doctor and climbing the steps two at a time and weaving through the hall until he came to the right room. Inside he saw Kenshin sitting on the lounger gazing out the glass balcony door to the white and blue ocean that stretched out to the horizon. He was dressed all in white, just as Sanosuke was, a symbol that he was given back by the sea. They would wear the white clothes until they went to sea again. Every tiny scratch had been dressed to ward off any chance of infection. His hair was let down to hang about his shoulders and his eyes were rooted forwards, at the sea.

"So you lived." Sanosuke said, attempting to make light of the situation. He walked in.

Kenshin turned, ripping his light purple eyes from the outside and smiled brightly. "Sanosuke! I'm glad to see that you are well, that I am."

"I'm the best swimmer around, of course I lived, I wasn't so sure about your though. It was a full day before word got to me that they found you wandering the beach down the way. I thought for sure you had drowned with all that traditional costuming on." The man joined the prince on the lounge and both of them sat, looking out the window.

"I should have drowned." Kenshin said finally. "I remember sinking, I remember my lungs burning and I remember breathing in water when I could hold it no longer. You know how the spirits of those that die at sea float upon the water until they reach the afterlife?" When Sanosuke nodded Kenshin continued. "Well I had flashes; I remember floating on my back looking up at the night sky. I couldn't move or speak and just when I thought I could, I slipped back into darkness, that I would. Then there was singing, a beautiful voice. Eerie and strange yet angelic in its purity. And there was warmth and light, and I though the spirits of the afterlife were welcoming me."

"And then what happened?" Sanosuke urged in a whisper.

"I woke up." Kenshin said simply with a shrug. "The singing was still in my ears and I saw…a woman, in the water, that I did."

"You say you saw a woman in the water?"

"Yes," Kenshin closed his eyes, trying to remember, but the haze in his mind was too thick. "She was the one singing, she was naked. Her hair covered most of her face, but I can't recall the color of it." He opened his eyes and smiled at his friend. "I'm sure you think a mermaid rescued me."

It was at that moment that Sanosuke saw and felt how weak his prince was. Weak in body and in spirit. It seemed that whatever it was that had happened had drained the life-force away from him. "I think you should stay away from the sea for a while."

* * *

><p>An I think Kaoru's one day at the surface has made up for all those years she was stuck waiting. I think our poor littlest mermaid has just had the fright of her life. And we also got our first taste of Kenshin in this chapter. I did make him a prince, I thought it would fit better with the storyline. Thanks for reading everyone! I'll be sure to update this story sooner. Reviews are loved


	4. Pain is your Payment

a/n Hi! Wow I almost forgot about this story…my bad. I'm sure many of you want to thrash me within an inch of my life. At least this is a nice long chapter to keep you distracted while I run and hide. Hehe

This has turned out to become one of my favorite chapters, being one of the pinnacle moments in the mermaid story. I hope many of my readers, reviewers and lurkers are still around to give me feedback.

I also want to shamelessly plug my new collection of short stories. Blossoms on the Cherry Tree. It's a bunch of shorts/drabbles/two-shots of mostly Kenshin/ Kaoru romance that I had cluttering up my computer that I wanted to put in one spot. My goal is to reach 100 little blossoms of writing. If you haven't stopped to read it, please do, I will be eternally thankful. Well enough of that, on to the story!

Disclaimer, I don't own Kenshin.

* * *

><p>Life back under the sea…was Hell.<p>

Kaoru made up a story about her time on the surface. Watching boats and sitting on the beach and listening to human music and seeing fire. But the storm, the wreck and saving a human from drowning never spilled from her lips.

Time went by, days, weeks and Kaoru grew more and more melancholy. Once a week or so she would swim off the moment she woke up never to return until it was time for sleep. She would spend all day swimming back to the beach she had left her human and watch for him. But she never saw him again. She saw a great deal more things. Many more humans that she could ever hope to remember. She saw their pets and the flying creatures in the sky. She saw the small human, the offspring running unclothed in the shallows. The sight of them and the sound of their laughter brightened Kaoru's spirits if only for a while. She'd come to recognize the male and female human and would creep as close to shore as she dared when she would spy a human female with a bundle in her arms. More often than not it was a tiny child. One too small to run with the other children. Kaoru always had to fight the impulse to snatch the bundle or one of the children in the shallows to take home with her.

She never knew where such evil thoughts came from. Kaoru knew humans couldn't live in the water, why was she always wanting to drag one down to its death?

The seasons changed, and changed again, and changed again. But Kaoru never gave up watching for any sign of her human, hoping that she would see him again one day.

More time passed, months, Kaoru's sixteenth birthday came and went. She had been to the surface more times than all her sisters put together. This was not so surprising to them, the youngest mermaid had always been obsessed with life above the sea, but what got them was how she only seemed to grow more and more depressed with each passing month.

Her seventeenth birthday flew by and still she would visit the surface. Life on that beach was common to her now. She knew of the best little hiding places and the best rocks to sun herself and how to spy on humans. She would sing on that beach, calling for him even though she didn't know his name. Often she would sing the soft lullaby she had when she left him on the beach. Memories would overtake her and she wept often.

… . . …

"Kaoru just being around you is so depressing." Megumi said. She was visiting with Tae and Sayo. Married life suited the eldest mermaid well. Tae was to be wed in the next two months and Sayo was engaged. Misao was still one of the mermen, preferring hunting and adventures than courting and Tubame was still too shy to do much more than talk with a male. Kaoru had flat out ignored her suitors, and after over two whole years of it, had deserted the idea of courting Kaoru.

"Shut up, Megumi." Kaoru said, passing her three sisters without a glance.

"You know I saw a human the other day. Got really close to it." Sayo said in her soft voice.

Kaoru paused and looked over her shoulder.

"Oh? What was it doing?" Tae said, "looking interested.

"Nothing. It wasn't swimming, or looking for food or talking or anything…it was just watching me with big wide eyes."

"That's because it was dead Sayo, Hohohoho!" Megumi said with a laugh. "They can't live in the water, you know that. Hohohoho-Ahh!"

Kaoru flew up to Megumi and swing her tail around hard, whacking the woman across the head and face with her fins. The sharp shell of the clams clamped to her tail sliced her sister across the face. The three sisters were shocked into silence. "You think you're so funny Megumi, you nasty, kelp eating sea cow. Worthless, carcass eating parasite!" She fumed, whirling around to Sayo, who shrunk back. "And you! Did you drag that human under the water to drown? How about those children? You said you wanted one on your first day on the surface. Did you kill any of them?"

"N-no." Sayo stuttered.

"If I ever hear of you doing so I swear I'll bash your skull in with a rock, slice you open and wrap your guts around your neck and stuff you in a little hole where no one will ever find you!" And with that Kaoru thrashed her tail and vanished into the coral kingdom.

All three sisters watched her go before turning to look at one another. Tae, happy to be spared Kaoru's wrath was the first to breathe. "Wow, what's got into her. I've never heard her so angry."

"I.. it's my fault." Sayo said. "We all know Kaoru's temper and her love for humans, I never should have said that joke."

The two of them turned to Megumi who sat shocked and bleeding from the cuts across her face. "I… I think there must be something wrong with her." Megumi finally stated. "Maybe we should get the healer to take a look at her."

"Yeah, she hasn't been right in the head for quite a long time." Tae agreed

… . . …

Kaoru fumed, swimming back and forth in the room she shared with the rest of her sisters. She was happy that Megumi had married and left for another room in the kingdom. Her tail flicked in agitation, propelling her to and fro in the room. Slowly her anger ebbed, but didn't leave completely and she snapped at the first sign of life in the room. "What!" she shouted as soon as she noticed the movement.

It was Misao, she froze in mid tail flick and brought her hands up. "Damn Kaoru, I just saw what you did to Megumi's face. What in the deep caverns has gotten into you?"

Kaoru growled a moment before sinking down on her soft kelp and moss bed. "I'm sorry Misao; she made me mad with one of her drowned human jokes again."

"Oh those." Misao nodded as she too allowed her body to sink into her bed.

"She and Sayo…they always had that fascination with dragging humans into the water…and so have I." Kaoru confessed.

Misao snapped her eyes over to her sister. "Really?"

"Yes, I'm a monster!" Kaoru nearly wailed. "Why do I have such thoughts…why do we all have them? The humans have never really harmed us so why do we want to kill them?"

The sisters sat in silence a moment, all Misao could do was shrug. She didn't know.

"It's natural," said an old voice at their door. Both sisters turned and jumped from their beds as their old grandmother floated in with her huge transparent fins. "I heard about the fight Kaoru dear, and I couldn't help but overhear your sorrow."

"Grandmother, please tell me, why do mermaids drag humans down to their deaths? And why do we want to steal their babies?" She floated over to a large rock shelf on which their grandmother perched herself. Both she and Misao folded their fins under them and rested at her tail fin.

"Long ago, Mermaid were very jealous of humans and wanted all they had. They confused the humans to crash their boats against the rocks and stole the fish they hunted for. Once, we used to steal away human children and turn them into mermaids."

Kaoru's mouth dropped. "H-How?"

"As long as the child was young enough that's its feet had yet to walk on the dry earth, the mermaid could turn its legs into fins. Often the mermaid would trade…her own child in place of the human one as long as the merchild was young enough that it had not swam on its own yet. The merchild would grow legs as soon as it touched the sand and the human mother would raise it with little knowledge that it was not her real offspring. Obviously the child would not thrive on land and would eventually return to the sea and return to being a mermaid. Sometimes the stolen human child would return to land, legs and all…but would always waste away from grief if they didn't return to the life they had known in the sea." She turned her white eyes to Kaoru. "The urge has faded away these past thousand years, but sometimes it shows up stronger in some than in others. Sadly though, we have lost the power to transform the children. So any human child you steal will only drown if you take it under the surface."

Kaoru shivered at the thought and it upset her to think of a poor mother with her empty bundle and a cold, drowned, tiny child in the water.

"Humans knew of us back in those days. They hunted us and used us for our power. But as our power grew weaker, their interest in us faded until we've become more of a story for the humans. Back then we were a vengeful race. Causing their ships to sink, to take their lives as they took ours. But those days are over, but the instinct is still in us all."

"It's still horrible for Megumi to make such jokes." Kaoru said softly yet her anger was gone. Her grandmother set her frail hand on her head.

"Pay no attention to your sisters. They do not have the love and interest in the surface and humans as you do."

… . . …

Talking with her grandmother made Kaoru feel better. She was still disturbed at her thoughts, but now she had a reason to why they came and she knew that she could simply control them. She was no longer afraid to spy on the humans and their children.

It was on one such spying mission that suddenly changed everything for Kaoru.

Creeping closer to the wooden structure that jutted out into the water, Kaoru was trying her hardest to spy on two young children playing. They wore thick garments for the weather had yet to warm up for spring. A large group of voices alerted the young mermaid that more humans were arriving and so she ducked under the wooden structure and slipped back into the water and swam for the rocks. Here she could spy the large number of humans without being seen. Peeking her head above water, Kaoru slipped behind the rocks and clung to one as she pulled her body slightly out of the water. The sight she saw stopped her heart.

A large group of humans called the children over, There were perhaps five of them, and one of them had hair as red as coral.

It was her human!

A small sound escaped her as she wanted to call out for him, but she clapped her hand over her mouth and ducked back behind the rocks. He was walking, smiling with the other humans, a female on his right carried something large and colorful. It seemed to be keeping her face in the shade. One other female had the same and they took the children in by the hands as they walked off. Her human was talking with another, much taller male as they made their way back up to where the beach turned to rock. Kaoru Turned and pressed her back against the rock. Her human was here! After two cycles of the seasons she has finally spotted him.

Her heart felt like it wanted to rip from her chest, it was beating so hard. Her spirit rose to the highest white clouds, she was so elated. She wanted to rush forward and drag him into the water with her, or drag herself out of the water to be with him. The urge was so strong she was nearly hugging the rock she hid behind to keep her tail from taking her to shore. The group was turning, heading up the beach and away from the water. Pain filled her. Would he disappear and make her wait for another two turns of the seasons to see him again? Kaoru knew at that moment she would never survive it.

"Wait!" She called out. "Don't go!"

A miracle…her red-headed human paused, and looked over his shoulder. Just as Kaoru could see the profile of his face, she remembered that she was not a human. It would be dangerous if she was spotted, even by her human. She ducked at the last moment and hid behind the rock and covered her face with her hands and cried.

… . . …

"What is it?" Sanosuke asked seeing his friend pause to look back at the sea. It had been nearly two years since the ship wreck and it was on this beach that he had been found. Sanosuke wondered how the prince would take returning to this beach for the first time and it had seemed Kenshin was fine with it.

"I…I thought I heard something, that I did." Kenshin said slowly as his eyes scanned the beach and the rolling surf beyond it.

"Oh yeah?" Sanosuke looked out at the peaceful beach.

"Sounded like a voice, but I couldn't understand it."

Sanosuke eyed the prince. He was dressed in white, for the man had yet to go back on a ship or even a boat. He had hardly set a toe into the ocean. But at least the effects of his rescue had faded and Kenshin no longer gazed out at the ocean for hours. "I thought you stopped hearing those voices."

"I did." Kenshin lied; he heard the voices, the singing in his dreams almost every night. It was impossible for him to forget.

A few yards in front of them, Tomoe and her companions turned and waited for them. "Come on you two, we'll come back tomorrow!" She called.

"Let's go Kenshin. Your cousin's callin' you." Sanosuke tried to act as if nothing was amiss as he clapped his friend on the shoulder and nearly had to drag him those first two steps before Kenshin appeared to shake out of it and flash the women ahead of him a smile.

"Coming, that we are."

… . . …

Kaoru felt like she would rather let the waves dash her body against sharp and jagged rock than to leave the little beach now that she knew her human was so close by. Would he return? She had no idea. Perhaps this was the last time she would ever see him. The very idea caused such a rip in her emotions such a pain, that she actually clutched at her chest, it was aching so. Even so, Kaoru slipped under the waves as the sun dipped into the sea. She swam long and hard, as if trying to get away from her pain, but the further she went, the more it hurt and the more she wanted to be with her human.

Kaoru already knew there was no way she could ever return to her home, the coral kingdom deep under the sea. She could never survive there, just as her human could never survive in the water. Kaoru loved the surface, she loved the land and she loved humans. She just couldn't stay away.

Kaoru's tail froze as an idea slowly formed and grew in her mind.

Their lived many sea witches in the oceans, none more powerful than the once that lived a day's swim from the kingdom. Perhaps she could help Kaoru. It was then that the idea took full form all at once. If she could get the sea witch to give her legs…she could join her human on land! For the first time in many seasons hope blossomed in Kaoru's heart and she changed her course just slightly to visit the sea witch.

She didn't know much about the witch, just that she was powerful, scary and her father and grandmother many times forbid her and her sisters from even thinking of seeing her for anything. But Kaoru felt she had no choice. Her father, the King nor her grandmother could do anything to take away this pain she felt, her urge to experience life out of the water, or her love for the human she had saved. They couldn't make her forget it all.

Even more urgent, she had no idea how long her human was going to be there. If she was to become human herself and find him, she would have to act now before too much time past. With every hour her human could be moving further and further from the beach. '

Kaoru dipped low and skimmed the bottom of the ocean. Bright corals slowly faded away for long forests of growing kelp and dark, deep caves opened their dark mouths up at her. Kaoru was forced to slow down to navigate her way past the forest of thick kelp. She wasn't sure where the sea witch would be, only that she lived around the kelp forest, Kaoru could only pray that she was in the right one. But she didn't have to fear for long, for the kelp cleared and in the center of the clearing sat a large cave and sitting beside that cave was the sea witch.

The sea witch was many times larger than the youngest princess. She had blue-grey hair that floated in locks as if she had ells growing from her head and there were trying to wiggle free from her. Her most striking feature was the fact that she had two tails, two inky black tails and fins that moved in unison. She smiled and her teeth were like those of a shark.

"What do I own the pleasure young princess?" She said, not moving from her perch. Deep dark eyes as black as the dark sky gazed intently at her.

Kaoru backed up slight now that she was the center of the witch's attention. Desperation did not stop her from feeling fear. All the stories she'd been told as a child about the witch suddenly rushed to the front of her memory. "I…uh.."

"Yes, yes what is it?" The witch pressed as she flicked her two great tails and floated to settle down on her bed of kelp at the mouth of the cave.

The mermaid squeezed her eyes shut and screwed her courage together. This was the only chance she had to getting what she wanted and getting out of the shadows of her older sisters, of finally thriving up at the surface. "I want to be a human" Kaoru blurted. There was silence and Kaoru opened her eyes. The sea witch's shark like smile was twice as large, splitting her face in two.

"Well…Human" She swam over to her vast garden and began to pull various plants from it before making her way to a large stone in the very center of the clearing that had been carved into a large bowl, she beckoned Kaoru to come closer. "Why?"

Kaoru tried to ignore the strange things that squirmed from the plants in her hands as she floated closer. "I s-saw a human…I saved him, from drowning."

The witch nodded as she mindlessly grabbed at colorful sea flowers and crushed them into the bowl. "A man. I'm not surprised. Humans are so interesting…the men most of all. They are so weak when it comes to the voices of mermaids. Forever?"

"I beg your pardon?" Kaoru couldn't pry her eyes away as the witch grabbed a few wiggling fish from the water around them and spiny creatures crawling up the pocked marked stone that held the bowl and mashed them alive into the bowl. Kaoru winced.

"I asked if you want to be a human forever?" The witch turned, her black eyes now electric green.

Forever? Kaoru thought of her father and of her sisters. They would miss her dearly she knew. And it pained Kaoru to think of never seeing her grandmother again. She glanced about at the waters she knew as her home. Could she leave it forever for one single human? She reflected on her feelings when she swam away from the beach just a few hours ago. This was her home, but she could never live here, not after having such a taste of the world above the sea, of humans. "Yes. Forever."

"I admit that I can't make anything that will turn you human forever. You see…human forms need a soul to survive. You may look like a human, but will have no soul." The witch used her bony hands to mix the mashed plants and creatures together and she worked the goo around in the bowl.

"A soul?" Kaoru wasn't familiar.

The Sea Witch nodded as if listening to her inner thoughts. "This human man you saved? You love him?"

Kaoru felt her face blushing, but she tried to ignore it. Would the Witch believe her, a mere child, of loving a human? "I do."

That was enough to satisfy the Sea Witch it seemed. Two giant tails flicked and beat at the water as the witch turned to vanish into the depths of the cave. She returned with a small polished cone-shaped sea shell. "Marriage to a human will grant you a human soul."

"Marriage? Could I possibly marry a human?" Kaoru couldn't fathom. She was thinking she would live out her life next to the man she saved and loved, exploring the world above the sea. Could she really win his heart as he had hers?

"Of course. You have an advantage anyways, human men are weak against mermaids, remember." She turned to the small girl and raised one finger, a sharp, long nail curving from said finger. "Now listen. As said, You may be in human form but without a soul you will quickly fade and die. Do you know of the large glowing moon in the night sky?"

Kaoru did know of the glowing ball in the dark sky. She stated as such.

"Take this potion by morning, and you will have until the third full moon to marry a human and gain a soul before you die."

Kaoru remembered that the glowing ball was full the night before, and that it took normally around thirty light and dark skies for the orb to be full again. "Ninety days?" Kaoru asked.

The witch nodded. "Eighty-four to Ninety days of light and dark before your body will fade from a lack of a soul. Of course you can take this potion whenever you want…just remember, ninety days is your limit."

Could she do it? Kaoru had kept her vigil for the red-haired human for so long, she was willing to do whatever it took to stay with him, no matter what the risk could be. "I understand."

"Good" the Witch nodded. "Now for payment. I require something of you to pay for the potion."

Kaoru blinked. She didn't have anything other than the clams clamped on her fins and the large sapphire pendent her father had given her years ago. If the Witch wanted the stone then so be it.

"No, not that rock." The witch said as Kaoru was lifting the chain from her neck. "I need items for more potions. Items from mermaids are rare, my potions will be powerful." Her eyes gleamed with the ideas that bubbled to her mind. "I'll take…your voice."

Kaoru balked slightly. Her voice? How? "Why."

"What's more alluring that a mermaid's voice? Your voice will give my potions great power." The Witch set the cone shell on the lip of the bowl and once more vanished into her cave and returned just as quickly with a scallop shell in her hand. She flipped it open and set it on the lip of the bowl as well. "You agree on this payment?"

Kaoru looked away from her bright eyes and gazed into the forest of kelp swaying in the current. What would she need her voice for anyways? She was certain that she and the humans spoke a vastly different language. It would be hard to communicate with them. Hard but not impossible. No more impossible than communication without a voice. "Agreed." Kaoru said as she turned back to the Witch.

Before Kaoru could even focus on the large creature, the Sea Witch surged forward as Kaoru uttered her agreement. Before her mouth could close the Witch had her bony fingers in her mouth, Sharp nails stabbed at her tongue and Kaoru was forced to let the Witch pull her tongue from her mouth. With a glint of light, Kaoru spotted a blade in the other hand of the Witch and with a swipe; the Witch had sliced Kaoru's tongue from her mouth.

Kaoru cried out as the Witch backed away with her prize. The little mermaid clapped both hands over her mouth as pain shot from her mouth to every part of her body. What was left of the severed muscle recoiled back into her mouth. But most of it was gone. Kaoru could already feel the difference in her mouth without half of her tongue. Blood gushed and Kaoru opened her mouth. A half strangled moan escaped as well as a dark cloud of blood. "Nugh." She said, a cry that didn't sound right as she watched the cloud of blood vanish in the water. Past the vanishing cloud of blood she could see the Sea Witch place her tongue in the scallop shell and snapped it closed. With her prize safe and tucked away the Witch returned to the bowl and took up the mash of goo in one hand and the cone shell in the other.

With a squeeze the mush oozed a dark green fluid that strangely did not mix with the sea water. Instead the Witch carefully dripped the ooze into the shell. With the shell full. The witch took a kelp leaf and stuffed the top of the shell to keep the potion from escaping. She turned to the princess.

Kaoru's vision was blurry from the pain, her whole body felt numb against the pain in her mouth, but she forced herself to reach out and take the shell. The Witch did not let go.

"Drinking this will transform you, be far away from the sea when you do this, for you will not have fins nor the ability to survive in water." The Witch warned.

Kaoru remembered the drowning humans that night she rescued her red-haired human. She knew the danger water was for humans. She nodded, struggling not to make a sound of pain.

"Transformation will be excruciating. Enough to drive away the pain you feel in your mouth. Be in a safe place during this time, for you will be vulnerable."

Again Kaoru nodded, but the Witch would not let go of the shell.

"And remember, you have a time limit, you must marry."

Kaoru nodded a third time and only then did the Witch give her the shell. Like a startled fish, Kaoru kicked her tail and rose high above the kelp forest like a shot. She swam away hard and fast as the Witch's laughter chased her.

… . . …

Kaoru had pauses outside the waters of her home. Before her stretched the rock and coral kingdom where her family dwelled. She could see the tower where her royal father and grandmother lived. She knew her sisters lived in the coral cave just below it. She could just drop the shell and swim home and be there in moments, and she would be safe with people she knew loved her.

But she would be unhappy. And she would always wonder about the life she could have had on the surface. Plus she knew she couldn't face her family with no voice, knowing that she had sold one of her powers to the sea witch. She couldn't face her grandmother knowing that she would never be able to join her sisters in singing.

No, she couldn't go back home.

… . . …

Kaoru found herself on the beach where she had seen her red-haired human; where she had brought him when she had saved him from the sea. The day had past while she was under the sea and the moon was already high in the sky by the time she arrived. Everything was sparkling and silent. Nothing but the sound of waves brushing against the land. Beyond she could see the lights of the town. They were warm and inviting, Kaoru ached to go there.

Soon, she would be able to see the life within those dwellings with the warm light. She bobbed above the waves, gazing at the life of humans beyond the beach until the moon fell from the sky and it turned lavender as the sun started to rise. She swam closer. The tide was going out and rocks jutted up from the waves. They were the same rocks she would use to spy at life on the beach. She let a wave carry her to the rocks and she clung to them as the wave fell away. Pulling herself up, she draped her body against the gentle curve of the rock and glanced over the edge. The sun had not yet above the horizon, but the air was warm. Glancing around the rock she could see that the beach was just as deserted as it had been at night.

In her left hand she clutched the shell. It was now or never. And now that it came right down to it, Kaoru felt her conviction slipping. But the dull pain in her mouth reminded her of what she had given up. She could see land and her very being cried out to explore life beyond it. To walk…to find the human she had dreamed about for seasons. She had no idea how long the potion would take, so she decided to take it now before the humans wandered onto the beach as they often did.

With the tide out, there was only a small strip of water and a stretch of sand before the beach rose up. The water wasn't deep and not very wide, so she was certain she could get through it once she had legs.

Legs, the very idea made excitement tingle from the top of her head to the very fin of her tail. She struggled with the kelp plug as she pulled it from the shell and Kaoru kept her eyes on the beach and not the greenish goop in the shell. She tipped the shell up and poured the contents down her throat. She was suddenly very glad she couldn't really taste much of it because of her missing tongue. The potion settled heavy in her stomach and instantly her middle tingled as the potion was absorbed by her body. Kaoru braced herself, but nothing could prepare her for the onslaught of pain.

At first it was just a general discomfort as the warm tingling from her middle shifted to hot pain as it spread throughout her body. Her chest heaved as burning heat seared her insides around her heart. Breathing was hard for a moment as her lungs were reformed. Now and forever her body would reject water just as humans did. She found that fact frightening, but before she could dwell on it, the pain moved to her tail, and here it grew.

Horrified, she watched as her transparent fin turned brown around the edges. The clams that signaled her royal status dropped from the rotting fin as it grew slimy and rotted to brown and then black. She felt sick as she watched her body rotting as if dead. Then suddenly the fins slid off her tail to drop into the ocean. Her tail was already splitting, she could see the red raw wound at the very tip of her tail. On its own accord, her tail pulled at itself, pulling the split wider and wider.

"Naaahhh!" She cried as the pain grew. Hot tears came from her eyes. She was surprised by this, having never had tears before, but the simple fact was overshadowed by the pain. The split was halfway up her tail now and she could see the red muscles and the white of bone as it was shifting and reforming. Her beautiful blue scales were peeling back and sloughing off her body in massive chunks until there was nothing left but a raw and bleeding tail.

Scared and in pain, Kaoru clung to the rock with all her strength and cried, her voice distorted by her lack of a tongue. Her tail kept wiggling on its own, pulling itself in half more and more. It was then that the voice of the Sea Witch rose from the water.

"You must suffer the pain of silence…and the pain of innocence lost."

The ethereal voice died away as strangely as it rose up. Kaoru didn't know if the witch was near, but she didn't care, for the pain drove away any rational thought from her mind, the split reached her middle, where her scales ended and the flesh of her torso began. Here the pain was at its worse. Kaoru feared the split would go higher. Would her insides spill out like a gutted fish? The pain was such that Kaoru started to see black sunbursts and white spots. Her fingers held the rock in a death grip in case she lost consciousness, which she was very close to. The split and raw tail started to fuse together at her torso anatomy of a female was being formed, she could feel flesh bubbling up from nowhere to gather at her front and at the base of her spine.

Time had past. The sun was already climbing the sky and the morning was well underway. How long had she been suffering on the rock? She had no idea. She had screamed and cried, regardless of being overheard by a human. She just couldn't hold back the wrenching cries that came.

She could head bones grinding and popping. She could feel it, a vibration of every bone in her body and legs formed. Bones grew thicker. She could see tendons stretch and pull tight though the window the raw wound created. No matter the pain, the fascination of legs forced her to watch. At her torso skin was creeping down to cover the raw wound, it was only then that the pain was starting to ebb. But the worst was yet to come. The tips of her tail started to split again. Pain throbbed at each little split. Five on each side. But thankfully the splits didn't go far. The rods of bone that was growing this whole time snapped in two places.

A scream echoed across the beach.

Kaoru hugged at the rock as she watched the legs that had taking so long and so much pain to form only to break. She felt pressure in the other side and knew it was coming. The bones shook and snapped in two places in perfect mirror of the other. Again Kaoru screamed; a sound she had never heard uttered by any living thing. More bones formed at the breaks. Kaoru realized it was the joints that every human had. The lower break angled sharply as bones grew to connect the splits in the tail. Toes.

Suddenly, even with the pain, Kaoru was excited. No longer did she have two wiggling raw slabs of meat below her navel. Now she had something that, yes was raw and bleeding, but at least looked like legs and feet.

The skin was creeping lower and lower and the pain was starting to become a memory. She wanted to examine every new part of herself, but her strength was failing her. Pain and blood loss had drained her. The sun was well into the sky, a while longer and it would be mid-day. So much time had passed, so much pain. There was another problem, the tide was back and waves lapped at Kaoru's new limbs. The salt water stung at the open wounds, but she clenched her eyes shut and waited.

Finally, after what seemed a lifetime, the pain was gone. Kaoru slowly opened her eyes and she saw two perfect legs, knees, feet, toes and all. She was a human!

But she had no more strength. The pain of transformation had sucked it all away. A large wave crashed into her and her hold on the rock slipped and Kaoru found herself slipping right into the water. She didn't panic…not until she tried to kick her tail only to have to two new legs flail about uselessly under the water and Kaoru's head dipped under the surface. She took a breath, only to have her lungs fill with water.

The wave rushed away and Kaoru popped back up and her body violently rejected the water she had breathed. She coughed and gagged. The pain was almost like the pain of her first breath of air many years ago. Another wave came and pushed Kaoru back under the water and tumbled her about for a moment.

She didn't come this far and endured so much pain to drown a few yards from land! Angry that she couldn't tell up from down, Kaoru thrust out her hands and she suddenly felt sand. She had kicked with her legs in this instant and propelled her head right into the fine grit of the sandy bottom. She could see light above her, where the surface was, but no matter how hard she thrashed her new legs and clawed with her hands, she couldn't seem to swim. The salt water burned her eyes; prickly seaweed ebbed to and fro from the waves and tangled in her limbs and hair.

No! She couldn't drown like this in the shallows! She was so close!

… . . …

"Think you'll ever go back out to sea Kenshin-san?." Deep dark eyes turned to him and Kenshin turned away from them to gaze out at the waves.

Sand gave way under their footsteps, Tomoe's arm was wrapped around his and he gave her arm a pat with his free hand. "Soon Tomoe-san."

She gave him a pout and playfully slapped at his shoulder. "You said that months ago. I'll drag you out there myself Kenshin…I will."

One look at the set of her lips told Kenshin that she believed every word she said. Her snow-white Kimono was grey with the overcast sky, her inky hair was shiny and hung like a glossy curtain at her back. His cousin was a symbol of beauty and grace. At her side bounced a parasol tied from her obi. She wasn't using it because of the overcast day.

Likewise he was in a dark blue gi with black hakama's and had his long hair tied back. At his side was a sword. He was the opposite of his cousin.

"It's like that saying about falling off a horse, you have to get right back on." Tomoe said sternly. "You love the sea Kenshin. Even with this accident I see you gazing out at the ocean all the time. Even Sano has noticed…he said you were becoming obsessed." She muttered. "I'm tired of seeing you in white all the time."

Kenshin laughed. In truth he did miss the sea, but that was not the reason for his gazing out at it all the time. He knew Sanosuke would never utter a word to another living soul; that he had lost his mind due to being rescued by a mermaid and hearing her song. Mermaid song drove men insane, he had said…made them run back into the sea. Maybe that was why he didn't dare get any closer than the beach where the waves just lapped at their sandals. He was afraid, just not for the reason Tomoe thought.

Suddenly Tomoe froze, she grew stiff at his side. "What is it?" Kenshin said, noticing her large, dark eyes locked onto something. Kenshin glanced over and spotted something dark being licked by the foamy waves.

"Gods." Tomoe whispered.

It was then that they both realized what they were seeing. Dropping their linked arms, they rushed to the mass laying on the sandy beach. The sight of pale, naked flesh brought them up short; Kenshin was already reaching out to turn Tomoe away from the sight of a drowned body. But just as he raised his hands, they saw the motionless form take a shuttering breath.

"Alive!" Tomoe shouted as she dropped to her knees, ignoring the wet sand that would surly ruin the delicate silk of her kimono. Kenshin fell to his knees beside her and the two tore and the tangled mess of seaweed that covered the poor creature.

"It's a woman." Kenshin stated. It was obvious once they uncovered enough of her pale, naked flesh. Kenshin turned her on her back and was startled at the sight of her face. She was young, yet familiar.

"Do you know her?" Tomoe said, noticing the shocked look on his face.

"I'm not sure." Kenshin ripped at his gi, pulling it open and pulling it from his pants; he draped his gi over the girl's cold, wet body to cover some of her nakedness. Tomoe reached out and untangled a thin silver chain from the poor girl's hair and they both gasped as a large, heavy sapphire set in a silver pendent was pulled away from the tangle of midnight hair.

"She must be someone important to own such a thing." Tomoe mused before turning to Kenshin. "Don't just sit there Baka! Go get help, Hurry!"

Kenshin didn't have to be told twice. Even though he didn't want to leave her side, he took one more look at the girl before turning and bolting back the way they had come.

Tomoe fretted as the girl gave a cough, her breathing was harsh with a gurgling sound. Obvious the girl had sea water in her lungs. She petted the girl, keeping her mess of hair away from her face. "There, it's alright now, your safe now." She said in her most comforting voice. Even though the air was warm, the sun was covered by the overcast clouds, and the girl started to shiver violently. Tomoe felt her skin, it was hot…she was feverish.

There was a sound of running and Tomoe glanced up as Kenshin returned. "I called for a doctor to be sent, I'm not waiting for help." He said as his arms worked their way under the girl, he lifted her with ease, even though she was dead weight. He pressed her limp body against his bare chest. Tomoe scrambled to her feet and the pair rushed back to the estate.

"I hope we're not too late!" Tomoe cried.

* * *

><p>An Gah, the trauma! I feel bad for torturing Kaoru, trust me. She and Kenshin are together now, that's all that matters to her, I'm sure. (and to you, my readers, as well) hehe. Reviews are loved! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to get out. Thanks for reading!


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